It can seem like your puppy has grown up in no time at all. One day they’re those cute little bundles of fur, the next they’ve grown up into a full sized adult dog (although they’re still cute either way!).
But you may have noticed that different dogs will grow at different rates. Smaller dogs will reach their full size much quicker than larger breeds will. This is because larger breeds need more time in order for their joints and larger bones to develop and grow.
Depending on the breed of your dog, it can be tricky knowing when to buy them the right sized collar, basket, crate, bed, or protective clothing. So you will of course be wondering when dogs stop growing so that you can estimate how big your pup will be when they’re fully grown!
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When will they stop growing? It depends…
Did you know that some dogs can take as long as 24 months to reach their full growth? Your dog will also need the right amount of food and exercise in order to grow up happy and healthy.
So we know that your dog will continue growing depending on the general size of the breed. To help you get a general idea of how long it will take your dog to stop growing, we’ve put together this handy table below. This should give you more of an indication as to when your puppy will be fully grown.
| Small Breeds (0-20 lbs) | Medium Breeds (21-50 lbs) | Large Breeds (51-100 lbs) | Extra Large Breeds (100+ lbs) | |
| 6 Months Old | 75% | 66% | 60% | 50% |
| 9 Months Old | 90% | 85% | 75% | 65% |
| 12 Months Old | 100% | 95% | 85% | 80% |
| 15 Months Old | 100% | 100% | 95% | 90% |
| 18 Months Old | 100% | 100% | 100% | 100% |
So as you can see, the length of time it will take your puppy to stop growing will entirely depend on their breed. If you have a Jack Russell Terrier or a Miniature Dachshund, they will likely stop growing once they reach a year old.
If you have a Labrador, it will take them a little longer to stop growing. Larger breeds such as Great Danes will take even longer to reach full growth.
Can you tell how big a puppy will get?
It can be tricky trying to determine how big your puppy will eventually grow to be. It is a difficult thing to predict, as it can be reliant on several factors. Females are often smaller than males, however, this will also be dependent on the breed. Your dog may be slightly larger than average for their breed, or they may be the runt of the litter.
So is it possible to tell how big a puppy will eventually get?
A good rule of thumb is to use your puppy’s weight at a certain age, then divide their age in weeks, and finally multiply this number by the 52 weeks in a year to guess what their ideal adult weight will be.
For smaller breeds, you should weigh them around 12 weeks old. Medium sized breeds will need to be weighed at 16 weeks old, and larger breeds will need to be weighed at 20 weeks old.
This should then give you a much better idea of how big your dog will grow up to be.
Do dogs grow bigger after 6 months?
Some dogs do grow bigger after 6 months, yes. This is because it will differ from breed to breed. Some of the smaller breeds will likely be fully grown at 6 months. However, if you have a larger breed, they will need a little bit more time to reach their full growth.
It’s important to remember that larger dogs will need longer for their bones and joints to develop. Your dog will also still be developing things like muscle and fat once their bones have fully grown, too.
If you’re not entirely sure how much longer your puppy will continue to grow for, you can check out the handy table above.
Does paw size determine dog size?
Some people believe that a dog’s paw size will determine how large or small they will be once they have become fully grown. And in most cases, this can actually be true! The general rule of thumbs is that the larger the paws of your dog, the higher their height and larger their weight will be when they become an adult.
This is of course because larger dogs will need more support in order to properly balance their weight. But just like the guesstimate method we’ve detailed above, it will still be fairly tricky to get an accurate idea from this at anything less than a couple of weeks of age.
Another factor to consider is that your dog’s paws will naturally grow more slowly than the rest of them will. So chances are these paws will appear larger to begin with, as the rest of their body has some catching up to do.
We wouldn’t recommend using your puppy’s paw size as a reliable indicator of how big they will eventually grow to be. This is likely to be more accurate for smaller breeds, but less so for larger dogs or mixed breeds. Generally, guessing their final size as an adult will fully depend on their breed.
In Summary
So there you have it! Puppies will generally be considered to be adults at a year old, however, this doesn’t mean they’ve finished growing.
How long your dog takes to finish growing will entirely depend on their specific breed. Smaller breeds are typically fully grown around anywhere between 6 to 9 months, whereas medium sized breeds will take up to a year. Larger breeds could take anywhere up to 24 months to reach their full size.
It will be important to give your puppy the food and exercise they need in order for them to grow up happy and healthy. If your dog is getting plenty of exercise and a healthy balanced diet, they will be able to reach their full growth.
